Two-piece cast-off



E. CLEARY.

TWO-PIECE CAST-OFF. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. a. 1918..

1 327 199 Patented Jan 6,1920.

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WITED STATE PATENT @FFIQE.

EDWARD CLEARY, 0F BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT,

ASSIG-NOR TO THE CONNECTICUT WEB & BUCKLE COMPANY, 0F BBIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

TWO-PIECE CAST-OFF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 3, 1918. Serial No. 252,333.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD CLEARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Two-Piece Cast-Offs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cast-ofis for suspenders, stocking supporters, etc., and has for its object to provide a simple and easily operated locking cast-off, embodying the principle of a ball and socket joint, each member consisting of one piece only, which may be blanked out and formed complete at a single operation, thereby greatly reducing the cost of construction- "With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel cast-off which I will now describe referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing one form of my novel cast-off in use, the members being in the engaged position;

Figs. 2 and 8 are perspective views of the members detached;

Fig. 4.- a section on an enlarged scale on the line ir- 1: in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 5 a view corresponding with Fig. 1

except that the positions of the ball and socket members are reversed, and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing a form in which a cord tube is made integral with the ball member.

10 denotes the ball member as a whole, 11 the socket member as a whole, 12 the web, which is ordinarily provided with a buckle 13 for the purpose-of adjustment, and I l the tape. The invention is equally applicable to the webs and tapes of suspenders or stocking supporters and it is wholly immaterial whether the socket member is attached to the web and the ball member to the tape, as in Figs. 1 and l, or the position of the members is reversed, as in Figs. 5 and 6. Each member is provided with means, as a slot or cord tube, to receive either a web, tape or cord.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 3 and 4: the ball member is provided with a tape slot 15, with an opening 16, and with a rounded boss above the opening, which I term the ball and which is indicated by 17. The socket member is provided with a web slot 18 and below the web slot with a rounded socket 19 which is offset obliquely from the member and is attached thereto on the lower side only. The socket is made large enough to receive the ball loosely and space enough is provided between the upper edge of the socket and the member to permit the ball to be drawn downward into the socket, the socket yielding slightly and springing back to place when the ball has passed into it. The operation of connecting the members of my novel castofi is simply to place the ball member over the socket member with the ball above the socket and the socket passing through the opening in the ball member and then to draw the members in opposite direc tion's permitting the ball to pass into the socket. This engagement of theball with the socket permits free lateral swinging movement of the members with relation to each other without danger of detachment. To separate the members the ball member is moved upward relatively to the socket member and sufficient upward pressure is applied to cause the socket to spring slightly and allow theball to pass out.

As each member can be blanked out from sheet metal and formed complete at a single operation, and as the shape of each member is such as to reduce the amount of scrap to the minimum, it will be seen that in addition to providing an easily operated, attractive, and thoroughly effective locking castoff, I have effected an important saving in the cost of manufacture by reducing the number of operations to a single one in the roduction of each member and have reduced the loss from scrap to the minimum.

The form illustrated in Fig. 5 differs only in that, when in position for use, the ball is on the upper member and the socket on the lower member. In this form, when connecting the members, the ball member is drawn downward until the ball is below the socket which is passed through the opening in the ball member and then the members are drawn in opposite directions sufficiently to permit the ball to pass into the socket as before. It is of course immaterial in the connecting operation, with both forms, which member is moved relatively to the other or if both members are moved relatively to each other.

Fig. 6 differs only in that instead of being provided with a web or tape slot, one of the members, in the present instance the socket member, is provided with a cord tube, indicated by 20, to receive a cord 21.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A locking cast-ofi" comprising a lower member having an opening and above the opening a ball, and an upper member having an upwardly extendingspring socket and provided with a slot extending more than half way around said socket to render it yieldable, the opening in the lower member receiving the spring socket and the latter yielding to receive the ball and permit lateral swinging Without detachment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD CLEARY. 

